American Handgunner Nov/Dec 2012 Digital Edition

Benchmade knives Photos: Chuck Pittman, Inc. Pat Covert An American Success Story I t began, innocently enough, with a butterfly knife. Les De Asis just liked it. Actually, he liked it a whole lot. The Filippino butterfly knife, or Balisong, is unlike any other folding knife in the cutlery kingdom. Rather than having a blade rotating out of a handle, the Balisong has two handles counter-rotating around the blade. So popular is the knife an entire martial arts culture has sprung up around it with enthusiasts worldwide. It’s a fascinating knife, especially in action, and Les De Bali-Song Butterfly knife 52 infidel Auto WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER2012